Mars is not, it seems, the dry old planet we once believed it to be. Astronauts who are 1 to go there in the next decade may find plenty 2 water to slake (消除) their thirst.
And with water present the 3 of finding some sort of life on Mars are 4 brighter.
This is the view of 40 5 all over the world who have been analyzing 6 of pictures and other scientific 7 obtained by robot explorers in the sixties and seventies.
To begin with scientists thought the Red Planet was as 8 as the Moon with dust storms swirling over vast sandy 9 . But now the picture is very different with mountains and valleys carved by 10 glaciers and torrential rivers rushing and rumbling deep underground.
In a report on the 11 of the Martian pictures Dr. Michael Car of the US Geological Survey comments: "I am 12 there"s lots of water on Mars." Any surface water will be in the 13 of ice. But it could save explorers 14 to take so much fresh 15 with them.
The report says 16 Mars probably had a warmer climate in ages 17 due to its axis having been more steeply tilted towards the Sun.
18 convincing signs of plant or animal life have been 19 by instruments soft landed on Mars, 20 only the immediate vicinity (靠近) of landing vehicles could be examined.